I was going to call this “Healthy Nutella” but Mr. Texanerin, the Nutella fiend who only eats Nutella in its pure form, saw this and said, “NO! Absolutely not!” Apparently this is just chocolate hazelnut spread.
It’s true that it doesn’t taste much like Nutella in that it’s not as smooth and not nearly as sweet, but it is chocolately. Chocolately using cocoa powder and not that much sugar. And it’s delicious and that’s all I care about. I’ve used it a few times in recipes in place of Nutella and it’s worked out well so far. I can’t wait to see what else I can do with it!
Anyone have any tips on how to reduce glass glare? :)
I can’t believe that this is the first recipe I’m posting from Sonia at The Healthy Foodie. I’ve made so many of her super healthy recipes and she’s gotten me to eat crazy things like chickpeas and cottage cheese. That’s quite an accomplishment.
Come back later in the week for some quick and yummy candy using this recipe!
Ingredients:
- 21 ounces (600 grams) hazelnuts
- 1/4 cup (20 grams) extra dark cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (60 grams) coconut / unrefined sugar / granulated sugar*
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
* I’ve had nothing but bad experiences with honey in nut butters so I’m not recommending it here.
Roast the hazelnuts on a baking sheet for 70 – 75 minutes at 275ºF / 135ºC. While they’re still warm, transfer to a clean dish towel and form a bundle and rub the nuts against each other so that the skins come off. That should only take about two minutes.
I cheated and roasted them at 350ºF for about 15 minutes, but then it was a little bit of a pain in the butt to get the skins off.
I cheated and roasted them at 350ºF for about 15 minutes, but then it was a little bit of a pain in the butt to get the skins off.
You can see I didn’t get very far. So roast them long and low!
Transfer the nuts, being careful to not include the skins, to a food processor and process until it’s very creamy. It’ll depend on your food processor, but it took me about 5 minutes.
Yields: 2 cups
Source: The Healthy Foodie – Hazelnut Butter Meets Dark Cocoa Powder
20 comments on "Homemade Chocolate Hazelnut Spread" — Add one!
Barbara – And thanks for the very nice comment. :)
Barbara – Nice to meet you too! :) Well, it's not exactly creamy. There are still little bits of hazelnuts so it's definitely not Nutella like. The texture is basically like natural peanut butter. But the flavor? Yum! And I made Baci Perugina with this spread recently and they came out amazing. I even went to the Italian shop and bought one to compare. Mine totally won. I'll post those soon! :D
nice to meet you Erin!
what a pleasure to read your comments and to discover your beautiful blog. there is so much I can relate to here. like this lovely spread which I will copy right away (well, as soon as I get hold of some hazelnuts). I tried something similar in the past but it totally did not work. yours looks so creamy and luscious! perfect with bread in the morning! and, btw, I always though nutella tastes too sweet, so I think I am going to love your healthy nutella more. yepp, I said that :)
xox/Barbara
Your fudge looks good. :)
I'm sorry it wasn't what you were looking for! I tried to make it clear in the first two paragraphs that it wasn't very much like Nutella. :(
I used the processor to combine all the ingredients and I don't think your proportions were that off. I think the problem might have been that you used honey instead of sugar. I never use honey in nut butters because they always seize up on me and get thick like what seems to have happened to you. I'll go and make a note in the recipe to not use honey. Sorry again that it didn't come out the way you thought it would! Thanks for leaving feedback. I really appreciate it!
Made these yesterday. Have to say it didn't exactly turn into a Nutella :/ But I can see where I went wrong with it. The outcome was still good so I don't really care haha. You're welcome to check out how it went for me:
http://sensualappeal.wordpress.com/2012/04/09/chocolate-hazelnut-fudge/
I realize the proportions were off and I shouldn't have used the processor to combine all of the ingredients with the butter. Oh well. You live, you learn :)
Amy – And it's just the beginning! I just finished taking pictures of some chocolate cookies that use ground hazelnuts instead of flour. :)
Thanks a ton for the link. I got the polarized filter that MyFudo mentioned above and although it helps, I'm still having a hard time with glass glare. I'm off to read it! Thanks again.
My the way…here's a post I read a while ago on how to reduce glass glare. Hope it helps.
http://bobbiesbakingblog.com/blog/2012/01/25/food-macro-photograpphy-troubleshooting-glass/
You really have quite a few hazelnuts recipes. I love the idea of a healthier version of Nutella cos I'm definitely a big fan. :)
MyFudo – Thanks a bunch! I'm looking into ordering a polarized filter now. I can't wait to see what it can do. :) Thanks again!
Polarized filter…This looks like a really yummy spread! Thanks for sharing…
Cassie – Thanks! You should give it a try. It's really easy. :)
Miryam – Haha. Mine too. You need to make some nut butter! The maple almond butter is still my favorite. It's like candy.
Kat – Thanks for the tip! I actually let mine cool for about 20 minutes but maybe I didn't let them cool enough because I really spent about 30 minutes trying to get the skins off. I'll definitely let them cool completely next time and see if that works better. Thanks again. :)
Sonia – Why thank you! :) But you know, I think this recipe is good as is. I imagine the only way to make it smooth like Nutella is to strain the paste, but that's so wasteful. I can't do it! Although I'm sure if someone can improve this recipe, it's you. :)
And you know I'd love to post more of your recipes but then this blog would just be a copycat. But I'm still dying to post the pasta. I just need to get some nicer pictures!
OMG, Erin, your "Nutella" looks fantastic. I want to grab a spoon and eat it right off the screen! Now you really got me wanting to revisit this recipe. I can guarantee that it will be happening VERY soon. I might be a good girl and wait until after Easter, but I'm not sure that I will be able to now that I've seen your pictures. Plus, I've been eating so much nut butter lately, I'm running dangerously low…
And thank you so much for posting one of my recipes, I am so honoured to have one of my "creations" on your site! :D
Sounds absolutely delicious!! I think I might be trying this next weekend :)
As a side note – in my experience it helps to actually let the hazelnuts cool after roasting (I also do at 350 for around 15 minutes) because it leaves the skins enlarged as the nuts themselves shrink back to their "room temp" size… and then it's easy peasy skinning!
I could eat this spread right now :-) My husband buys it all the time and mixes it with everything, yogurt, cereal, ice cream etc
Again you made another awesome nut spread!!
Now I need to start making some of my own :-)
I absolutely love the idea of making this at home, versus the jar. Sounds and looks incredible!
Katina – Thank!
Becca – Don't they eat peanut butter? It's the least exciting spread but doesn't everyone love peanut butter? It stays good for a long time! And it's the easiest spread. Dump the peanuts in food processor and wait 5 minutes. :)
Heidi – But the real stuff is so much creamier! Thinking about what's in it isn't so nice. Fat and sugar… yum!
Nora – Yeah! You have to make it. I love posting recipes that you can actually make. :)
This looks and sounds fantastic! I love the shot of it on the bread – YUMMMMMMMMM! I adore chocolate and hazelnut together, this is a must-make recipe in my book! :)
Oh my, this looks so good! I actually reeeaaally love homemade "nutella". It's so much more flavorful and delicious. I need to make more nut butters!
You make so many delicious looking spreads! I wish I had the motivation to make them, haha. But I'm afraid that I would be the only person in my house eating it, and that probably wont bode well for my waist line :P
This looks delicious though :)
This makes my mouth water! Lovely!